


Of Smiles and Flowers

by Karii_Lynne13



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: A Jealous Jakob is Jealous, Attempt at Romance, Avatar's name in Nohr is Corrin but is Kamui in Hoshido, Character Death, F/F, Female Relationships, I learned the Language of Flowers for this story, I wrote this to fill my Spring Break so I should update every day, Language of Flowers, Probably a little angst with a happy ending, References to the Soleil Controversy, Slightly AU for Sake of Plot, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6308839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karii_Lynne13/pseuds/Karii_Lynne13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corrin sided with Nohr, breaking her own heart along with four other's. Upon return to Nohr, Corrin finds herself in a dilemma, by the time Nohr has conquered Hoshido, she must find herself a husband to produce a draconic heir or die on the spot. The problem, Corrin is only attracted to girls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Terms and Conditions

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my Spring Break Story, meaning, I outlined this entire story a week ago, and I'm writing a chapter or so a day, so in the end, this story will be 7-9 chapters, unless it takes too long to get there. I hope you enjoy, please don't be afraid to PM me, or write a review if you have questions comments or concerns, I promise I don't bite.

* * *

 

I stare at the ground, heels digging into the dirt, toes grasping at blades of grasp. A pivotal moment for the eight people standing close to me, and I have to break the hearts of four of them. My eyes fly to the right, seeing the family I didn’t know I had, the ones I’ve spent the last few months being with. Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi and Sakura all staring at me with pleading eyes. The ones on my left, Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise are the only ones on this battlefield that seem happy, they probably had thought me dead, only to see me alive again.  Camilla starts walking over, each step small, and immediately in front of the other.

“Corrin, come back to us and we can take care of these vile Hoshidans who kept you away from me for the last three months,” Camilla’s sweet voice seems to thicken the tension, as she takes another step with each word, “Nothing can keep me away from my...”

“Stop right there Nohrian Scum!” Takumi commands, drawing his yumi, “Take one more step and I’ll kill both of you.”

“Kamui, please come back to us, I want to get to know my older sister, not as an enemy... please,” Sakura pleads, as Hinoka walks forward a few steps and I see Leo open Brynhildr, glaring at Hinoka, and she gets the message, and simply says, “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“We’re your family,” Xander says reaching a hand out, Siegfried in his other hand.

Two families, tearing me apart. So I close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths. I start to lose grip of my weapons, Yato almost slipping out of my fingers, and my dragonstone falling onto the ground with a slight thud, with that, the breeze ruffling the grass stops, and all is silent.

I stand, calming the tempest of emotions in my head. Mother died so I could make it here, yet, one of our first conversations had been echoing this, as if she knew I was going to live this moment.

“There is nothing keeping you here except yourself,” her voice repeats clearly in my head, then I remember another piece of another conversation, “Someday, you’ll need to make a hard decision, just remember to go with your heart.”

I stoop down and grab my fallen dragonstone and look over to the Hoshidan family, and take a step so I face them. All of their faces lift, surprisingly even Takumi’s the slightest bit. My grip on Yato tightens and I whisper, “I’m sorry.”

I start walking backwards, keeping my eyes on them as I leave, and Sakura starts sobbing, Takumi yelling curses and Ryoma saying, “Mother died because of the Nohrians! How dare you join them? We trusted you Kamui, and you went and destroyed that the same way the Nohrians have destroyed the great land of Hoshido!”

“My name is not Kamui, my name is Corrin, the name that my family gave me, not the people I met not too long ago.”

I watch as Hinoka’s heart breaks, as if she were hit with an arrow through her, and she tightens her grip on her naginata, “I refuse to let you leave!”

So, she charges, leaving her pegasus where it stands, and a tree pops up out of the ground blocking her. I turn to see Leo flipping to another page of Brynhildr, as I run back behind my siblings.

Then the fighting ends just as soon as it started. Xander has Siegfried at Ryoma’s throat, Sakura’s rod broken beyond use, and both Hinoka and Takumi bleeding from various wounds caused by Camilla.

“Don’t think that is over for one second Nohrian Scum!” Hinoka screams, having a hard time standing, even with the help of her naginata for support.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, not after what you tried to do to my little Corrin,” Camilla ruffles my hair a bit and pulls me into a side hug, and I see jealousy rise in Hinoka’s eyes upon seeing this, so she attempts to move only to fall on her face.

“We’ve spared you for now, don’t push your luck, Hoshidan Princess,” Leo comments, disgust pouring out of every word, “I’d more than happily end you here and now, but we know that Corrin wouldn't want to see more bloodshed. Especially of those who tried to trick her into believing that you were her family.”

I feel nausea wash over me, the stench of blood filling my nose, but fight the urge to vomit, needing to keep my resolve and so I turn away, tears streaming down my face, and I continue following my family as they start leaving this field in Hoshido.

A voice rings across the field, the voice familiar, as I leave, “Embrace the dark...”

I don’t listen to the rest.

 

Footfalls echo through the hallowed halls of Castle Krakenstein as I take a step towards my possible doom. Xander opens the massive doors leading to the throne room, a slight gust of cool air burst from the doors, disappearing the sweat beading my forehead, as I take smaller and smaller steps. I quickly look around, seeing that my siblings have disappeared, much like all my courage, and I continue walking.

A moment or two after entering, I see King Garon. His white hair somehow enough to hold his crown on his head. His massive axe lays on his lap, a white cloth turned red cleans the blade, and I stop in my tracks.

“Come closer, Hoshidan Welp,” his deep voice rings through the room, seeming shaking the fires on the torches around the room.

I take several steps forward, standing only a few steps from the base of the throne Garon sits. I take a deep breath.

“Explain yourself.”

So, I explain how I couldn't leave Nohr despite being of Hoshidan blood. Ending with, “I wasn't able to leave my true family behind.”

Several minutes pass, although it feels almost like days, but waiting for fate may just make it seem like it.

Garon clears his throat, “Although I would like to take you back with open arms, you can see why I don't, you were with the enemy for months before you came back, and you still had trouble fighting against them,” I nod my head slightly, “However, I will let you live until The Great Lord Anakos enlightens me with the answer of what to do with you. Go back with your brothers and sisters and I’ll summon you once we have come to a conclusion.”

I give a slight nod, thank him, and turn and leave faster than I had gotten in.

 

Sitting on the foot of Camilla’s bed brings back old memories of before I was given the Northern Fortress to stay in. She used to have me here to interrogate me to see if Xander and Leo were playing nice, and to make sure I wasn’t being too mean to Elise. Given the fact that I grew up without a mother, Camilla seemed to mold into that role quite well, becoming a form of confidant. She cuts my long black hair, believing that it was a bad sign to keep the same appearance that you had during time being a hostage, so, I let her cut it, knowing that the real reason was that she missed this time together since I had disappeared.

I sit there for hours, losing the feeling in my legs from sitting on them incorrectly, as I tell her stories of my time in Hoshido.I tell her about how I had to save Hinoka and Sakura from a mob of Faceless, only to get a growl with the mention of Hinoka. I tell her of meeting Azura, one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever met, who had a beautiful voice. Then, I told her about mother.

“She had had my same black hair, and she seemed to emit an aura of calm,” I say, fiddling with a white bow she had given me, although I don’t believe Camilla has figured out I still had it, “She was the reason I almost stayed in Hoshido, well, until she...”

I start crying, and Camilla gives words of comfort, “I know Corrin, I know.”

“H-how do you know, I had figured it was something that would only travel around Hoshido.”

“Corrin, rumors of a massive dragon killing the queen tends to raise questions, even in neighboring countries.”

I nod and Camilla changes the subject, “So, did you ask this Azura girl out?”

I shake my head, giving a faint smile, “Going based off a gut feeling, she was close to the girl I think I’ll be with, yet just far enough to not ruin a friendship.”

Camilla smiles, “Okay, I’ll get this hair cleaned up, I expect father to be asking for you soon, you’d better be on your way there.”

I nod again, and leave through the door. I start down the hallway when I hear the smashing of porcelain and see a rolling silver platter make its way to the wall.

“Felicia, is that you?” I walk forward, careful not to step on any shards of my guess, broken teacup.

“Ah, Lady Corrin, I was just on my way to bring you and Camilla tea, but...” She looks at the ground.

“Did my klutzy little maid strike again?”

“You know I hate it when you call me that,” Felica mumbles before saying, “Garon said that after tea you were to go back to him, he would like to speak with you, I’ll go tell Camilla and Elise to meet you in there, he wants all of you to hear whatever he has to say.”

I nod slightly, passing by, not stepping on any shards, and wait just outside the doors waiting for my other siblings to come by. Only moments pass before I see the four of them walking down the halls, so I open the door, finding that same gust of cool air fly in my face, and I start walking forward.

Garon clears his throat once the five of us are standing together, “Corrin, Anakos has alerted me of what to do, how will you accept your fate?”

I see him heft his axe then I hear a whimper from Elise, but push that thought to the back of my mind, “I will gladly accept any fate given to me, even if it requires my head.”

Garon gives a deep laugh, a very creepy laugh, and has to calm himself down before saying, “Who said anything about having your head?”

“I just figured...”

“Figure nothing girl! You’ll just need to agree to a few terms, unless you want me to take your suggestion.”

“I’ll gladly accept...”

“I haven’t said them yet, how can you agree if you don’t know what you're agreeing to?”

I promptly shut up.

“Well, the first condition is that you stomp out the rebellion in the Ice Tribe Village, alone,  and then help your siblings in protecting Nohr from the onslaught of the Hoshidans.”

I nod, hoping that he’ll understand that as agreement.

“Second, once I take the Hoshidan Throne, you are to show your intended, so you can produce an heir to rule over that half of our newly expanded Nohr.”

I stop nodding, taking this time to ask a question, “Why me? Both Xander and Camilla are older than me, and are your blood, plus they both have the same powers of Dragon’s Vein, so why do I have to be the one to produce an heir?

“Rumor has it a massive dragon killed the queen of Hoshido, along with most of the capital, only a few weeks before you returned. Spies claim that it was a person that became a dragon, one girl with black hair, sharp ears and wore no shoes. The only person that fits that description is you, thus concluding that you are this dragon. Imagine the power that this will bring Nohr, an actual dragon fighting on our side, not one of those pathetic wyverns everyone rides nowadays, we could be unstoppable.”

I stand there for a moment, hands clenched into fists, sweat beads on my forehead, knees locked in place, “I-I’m actu...”

“She accepts,” Camilla yells moving in front of me.

“How can you know that, she didn’t even say anything.”

“Well, she said I’m, and she said Ac, which we used to use for saying accept, accepted or accepting when she was still learning words. She’s just too honored right now to speak like an adult.”

“Big sister, I heard her say actu before you interrupted her,” Elise mumbles, being to naïve to understand the need for Camilla’s outburst. Camilla glares at her, hushing her before she says more.

“Corrin, say it this time without your stupid child’s talk.”

“I... Accept.” I manage, Camilla giving me a slight frown before stepping back to her original position at my side.

“Good, you leave in three days.”

I give a bow, and turn and leave, shoulder to shoulder with Camilla, and I walk with her and Elise to one of their rooms to talk. Camilla closes the door turning to Elise, “You almost got Corrin killed, how do you feel about that?”

“What? How’d I almost get big sister killed?” Elise questions, tears starting to fall down her face.

I pet Elise’s head, “Just don’t tell the truth when Camilla is lying like that, okay?”

“That's not good enough, I want to know why you had to lie,” Elise pouts, crossing her arms and sitting on the ground like a kid.

Camilla like at me with a questioning look, asking to say, “Can I tell her, or you?”

I barely shake my head, and point at myself for less than a heartbeat, and sit on the ground next to Elise, “Do you know how Garon told me I had to produce an heir?”

“Yeah... Wait, did you already?”

I shake my head, “No, quite the opposite actually.”

“I don't understand.”

I take a deep breath, “This will be a secret between us, okay Elise?”

Elise nods furiously, “Pinkie Promise?”

I laugh, having a childish sibling has its perks, and hold out my pinkie finger, and cross it with hers, and she does the same with Camilla.

“Well, what would you do if I told you I don’t like guys?”

“Well, then I’d say that you are crazy and weird, and lying to me like you tried to do to father.”

I glance at Camilla, and we both snort and start laughing. I calm myself down, “And if I wasn’t lying?”

“Then I would... Wait... Are you trying to say...”

I nod slightly, and with each time my head begins moving up again, Elise’s head drops a tiny bit.

“You made me lose a bet with Leo,” Elise pouts, “Now I owe him a boring lecture on magic.”

I hear a muffled laugh from behind the door, so I quietly open the door to see none other than the brother in question.

“Takumi, you really need to learn  that it’s rude to eavesdrop.”

“Uh... Corrin, I’m Leo, not that filthy Hoshidan rat,” Leo says, tilting his head to the side slightly, looking right past me.

“Oh, sorry Leo, I’ve got to go... Uh... See you later,” I pass by him, leaving him to discuss terms of a lecture with Elise. I head straight to my new room at this castle. Guilt planting a small seed in my gut.

* * *

 


	2. What You do for Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, Sorry for the late update, I had the chapter done, I swear, I just... Forgot to post. Anyways, I feel I should say this while I have the chance, If you are not comfortable with reading a story about a relationship between two female characters, please, please stop reading now, I'd hate to make anyone uncomfortable with my writing, so, anyways, if you have questions comments or concerns, leave a comment or just PM me. Enjoy.

* * *

 

Palace Macarath, the one place with something that could possibly help Elise. Azura claims that there is a certain medicine that she needs, but... I have my doubts. Something wants me to walk away, and leave this place and hope my chances are better elsewhere, but I ignore this, you do anything for family. My legs feel like stone when I find myself inside, and I see him.

His long spikes brown hair, face mask that earned him the nickname Lobster Lord, a name kept to myself. He stares at me, eyes blank, a sight of despair.

“Kamui, what are you doing here?” Ryoma asks, just as the other members of my party join me, “I see.”

“Ryoma, I don’t want to fight you, let us pass, Elise is very sick, and if we don’t get her help soon, she won't make it. Please brother,” the last part was a mistake.

“Brother? I see no family members here, only the Nohrian Scum that passes for royalty in the inferior nation. You wish for Elise to be saved, then give me your life and you can save hers. A life for a life, quite fitting after what you caused everyone in Hoshido, I know the perfect person to end your miserable life.”

Ryoma draws his sword, sparkling with electricity, and pulls it up, ready for a fight.

“I don’t want to fight you brother.”

“I am no longer your brother!” Ryoma yells, swinging his blade downwards, only to be blocked by Yato, “You want to save that brat, you have to kill me first.”

I raise Yato into a fighting position, close my eyes to free the heading tears, take a deep breath, and attack. You do anything for family.

Sparks fly everywhere, Raijinto and Yato swipe pass, barely far enough away to not cut flesh. This dance of death was meant to be graceful, something I had one of. I stumble through attacks, dodging most of Ryoma’s attacks on accident. The one time I am thankful for two left feet. Raijinto swipes at my chest, cutting my armor, sending electricity through my body, more pain than I’ve felt in a while. I fall onto my knees, and look around.

There is a new cavalier fighting alongside Silas, and a mercenary fighting with Odin.  I start feeling light headed, as I look down to see streams of blood oozing down my armor.

“This is the end brother, is this what you wanted?” I whisper, Ryoma having no reaction. He probably didn’t hear.

I close my eyes, and wait, until I hear the one sentence that brought me back, “Corrin, it’s Elise!”

I stumble to my feet, and retreat back to where I heard that voice, hoping Ryoma wouldn't follow, but he is soon sidetracked with Selena and Beruka. I walk into a room with Azura and Jakob sitting next to Elise, who lays there unmoving. Jakob looks at me once, and raises a staff and magic sews my cut together with a scream of agony, as I walk towards my sister. I walk over and shake her shoulder, and her eyes flutter open and she speaks in a soft quiet and weak voice, “I’m sorry... Sister... I haven’t been... Much... Help... Don’t... Blame... Yourself... For... This... Just... Promise... Me... That... You'll... Make sure... You... Live a... Happy... Life... For... Me... Tell... Od-”

She stops talking. I hear Azura and Jakob leave, and I sit there, staring at my dead sister.  Close her eyes, leave Yato at her side, and walk out the door. Feeling the same as when mother died, the tremoring grief, the uncontrollable anger. I begin to feel myself change, causing my to scream in pain, and I charge down my brother. Each step I feel heavier, my mind becoming less and less human with every second that passes. The next thing I remember is burying Elise back in the Astral Plain, the world a lot more gray than before.

 

Several months later, Lazlow, one of the newest recruits, and Azura have their wedding. I stand in the back, having decided that it's better for me to leave as soon as it is appropriate to do so. I stare at the ceremony, dread filling my thoughts.

“I have to do this same thing fairly soon... Stupid terms and conditions,” I mumble to myself, careful not to be heard.

I watch as they kiss, and cheering comes from the crowd, and I take my leave. I make a quick stop at my treehouse to change into my black and gold armor. The Nohrian crest is imbedded in the back neck, I remember Camilla and Elise helping me design it, as it would be better to look more like a Nohr Noble like they did. I walk to the back of the room, and cut a crimson rose off a plant Lilith gave me when I first got here. I walk out and find Elise’s grave, and like I do every few days, I give her a flower and sit and talk for a while.

I see the sea of crimson roses sitting there, all various levels of decay. I give a small chuckle, “I remember several years ago, you were no older than ten, and you lent me a book on flowers, thinking that if I knew what flowers said I wouldn't feel quite as lonely being alone in the Northern Fortress. I must've read that book a thousand or so times. I still remember most of them... I can't believe I never told you that before... I know I brushed it off, and you were disappointed, but... I still use those meanings today. This one specific flower is explaining what I've been doing for the last while now. Mourning... And I need to focus on this war... I know you'd tell me that I need to get back to the fight... Either that or I need to play a few games of tag with you... But... I know you'd tell me to stop doing this.”

I sit there silent for several moments, listening to the ocean waves and calls of the seagulls flying above. I hear footsteps in the grass, and see Odin walking near, a bouquet of white bell shaped flowers in his hand.

He looks at the pile of flowers, “Well, that's a lot of morning, wouldn't you say milady?”

“Yeah, I guess... Wait, don't you usually talk using big and hard to understand words? What changed?”

“Uh...” He mumbles something, dropping the arbutus on the grave, and I remember their meaning, only thee do I love.

“Well at least the flowers talk like you used to, I'll leave you in peace with your wife,” I say standing up, and I turn to leave.

“How did you know that she and I were married? I believed our union to be hidden in the shadows.”

“It's all in the flowers. Those are arbutus, correct?”

He merely nods, still shocked.

“If you wanted a flower that was not saying in exact words, only thee do I love, yet still said something along those lines, go with a striped carnation, that one means I wish I could be with you.”

“Thank you milady, I apologize for you finding out this way.”

“Odin, you made her happy, that's all the older sister needs to know. Now, trying to tell Camilla... Be careful with her.”

“Noted duly. If it not be too much trouble, could thee keepeth this information to yourself?”

I nod, and leave him to mourn, giving a slight chuckle about the way he said his last request.

 

We march off in some seemingly random place in Nohr, but Laslow insists that they have the best tea, and seeing that Jakob has been extremely grumpy about my lack of tea making abilities, and I ruined the last tea we owned, people decided that it would be best to keep the butler happy, he had been taking after Peri after all, and no one knew how many of her habits he’d inherited.

I send Silas to go out and scout, a sense of paranoia tingling in my neck. I grab Yato, and wait for a report. I've been insisting on scouts since the incident at Palace Macarath, and I have no desire to go through another instance like that again. Not long after I sent him out, Silas comes back, looking extremely worried.

“There’s a small group of mercenaries in this town, lead by some girl that seems more sadistic than Peri, as the rumor is she always smiles during a fight.”

Laslow runs up to Silas, “Wait, did you get a look at this girl?”

“Ugh, Laslow... You would think that after you got married, you’d stop trying to pick up girls... At this rate, I’m surprised you haven’t hit on Lady Corrin.”

“Have my reasons for not hitting on Corrin, but just tell me, did you see this girl that smiles in battle?”

Silas sighs and pinches his forehead, “Yes Laslow, I did. She has very light blue hair, lighter than Azura’s, almost like the color of snow,  and a white and gold headband. One o the prettiest girls I’ve seen, way out of your leauge Laslow.”

My heart seems to skip a couple beats. I finally manage to stutter, “W-well, we have to go save this girl, right? I mean it's only the right thing to do...”

Laslow scoffs, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, “Yes, it would be wise to go save my daughter.”

Laslow runs off, leaving Silas and myself speechless.

“What?” I ask under my breath, and run after Laslow, causing the whole party to follow.

 

I’m still amazed at how fast Niles is able to arrest and capture someone on the battlefield. One moment his talking, bow drawn, the next, the person he’s fighting has two arrows in their knees, and he’s trying them up, dispersing the other enemies in that location. Something that always amazes me.

I stand in the main square of the town, waiting for Jakob to make his tea run so we can go back to our original plan. I look around, seeing Laslow talking with that one girl, Soleil, and only a few minutes later, Laslow  turns towards me, and waves me over. So, I take slow steps over there, quite frankly not wanting to stay here much longer.

I take a few steps forward, finally noticing who Soleil is. She looks about twenty, a year or two younger than myself, and pale blue hair, like a dispersed cloud. Dark, gorgeous blue eyes, and a smile that lights up the world. Seeing her smiling seems to outshine every bad thing that happened in my life, getting kidnapped, mother’s and Elise’s deaths, even father’s terms and conditions on my life. All the gloom in my life is being shined through by the sun.

“Lady Corrin? Are you okay?” Soleil asks, her voice seems to soothe my ears, “Father, is she okay?”

I shake my head to clear my thoughts for a moment, “I... Ugh... I'm fine, sorry, I didn't realize how much that fight tired me out, I apologize.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, what Camilla calls a telltale sign of lying, but I don't care. Laslow chuckles, slightly nudging Soleil in the shoulder making her jump.

“Oh, right. I meant to ask you, could I join your army, I'd hate to go back to my Deeprealm where by the next time I get out is long after I'm old, it's already strange that I'm as old as my dad when if I had been born here I'd be maybe two or three months old. So, if you wouldn't mind, could I stay?”

My reply is almost too fast, “Yeah, if you want, just know that there are no promises on survival, we are in a war after all.”

Soleil smiles again, “Thank you so much Corrin, sorry Lady Corrin, I'll buy you a cup of tea as thanks! I was planning on having tea with Father, but you seem like better company.”

Soleil drags me by my arm, and k look back and see Laslow giving me a thumbs up, motions Azura over, and they slowly follow me.

“When did she get here, and how much of that did she see?” I mutter to myself as I turn around so I'm not walking backwards next to the girl dragging me along.

Soleil drags me to a small building with dark wood and stone, and opens the door, motioning me to go in. I take a seat in the middle of the room, dark wooden floors match the dark wood walks. Hanging overhead is a massive iron chandelier with lit candles and wax trays. Soleil sits accords from me, talking with the barista in hushed tones, and only a few minutes later, that same barista drops off a teapot with hot water, tea cups and a small bowl of sugar.

“Why don't you want me to join your army?”

“What, I never... Explicitly said that,” giving an innocent smile.

“It was implied, you may be able to fool my dad with that adorable smile, but not me.”

I stop smiling when she gives me a deadpan stare. I take another sip of tea, “Well, Laslow and Azura are two of the best soldiers here, but they need to be focused, and it’d be hard for us... Them, when their daughter is fighting. So, in my honest opinion, it would be best for you not to fight, at least for a while.”

I hear muffled laughter from across the room. I turn and look only to see Azura and Laslow watching us intently, drinking their own tea.

“Why did you even agree, I mean you obviously have a strong opinion about it.”

I speak a little louder just to make sure the two spectators hear this, “Well, because Laslow and Azura have been listening to nearly every conversation possible, and I was hoping that they would leave me alone if I accepted.”

I hear an outburst of laughter from Laslow, and a slight chuckle from Soleil, and we finish our tea in silence. We head back to the Astral Plain with the rest of the army. I walk around my castle, stopping my the Mess Hall, but see Felicia is on duty, so I turn around, and decide not to eat. I wander around for a few more minutes, and head back to my treehouse, to get ready for bed. I move the blankets to lay down when I hear a knock on the door. I growl, open the door, and see no one there. I look on the ground, and see a white camellia. I wonder momentarily why someone would drop a flower on my doorstep, but decide to just put it in a vase, and go to sleep, I'll worry about it in the morning.

I wake to the sound of shattering glass. Eyes still closed, I snuggle deeper into the bed and mumble, “Don't worry Felicia, I'm sure we have more cups elsewhere.”

I get up because of the silence. Typically, Felicia would apologize, and bumble out to go get Jakob to re-attempt the tea, and grab Flora to get me up. I open my eyes to see Jakob sitting next to the tiny table that always had some form of baked snack, typically the same table that I use for tea, stitching together what looked like shoes. I look over at my desk, and see the vase that had been sitting on it, was now shattered on the floor, water soaked into the rug in the middle of the floor, and the white camellia looks as if it were stomped on.

“Uh... What happened here?” I ask gesturing to the shattered vase, not trusting the floor to step on with bare feet.

“Oh, I must apologize Lady Corrin, it appears that the vase fell on the floor and broke into a hundred or so pieces, I immediately started your tea and set to work making you a pair of shoes so we don't have to deal with finding those tiny shards of glass out of your dirt coated feet. Dirt in cuts can lead to infection.”

“Why is the camellia stomped on?”

“That was the thing that made me realize that the vase had fallen, I felt the head of the flower beneath my feet as I was walking over to wake you.”

“You're wearing shoes that have a very thick sole, you wouldn't feel it. If I may add, I heard the shattering of the vase less than a moment before I awoke, and by the looks of it, there is no glass under the flower, only on top, but whatever you say.”

Jakob emits a small growl, and hands me the abominations he was working on. I slip in the shoes, quickly realizing they are for two right feet, not left feet, and groan and stumble towards the adjoining room to change. I'm almost through when I stumble over a rug, and fall, only to be caught by Jakob. He helps me get upright, so I kick off the uncomfortable shoes, and start walking, only to get picked up and taken to the next room. Something I learned from experience, was this went quicker if you don't struggle to walk on your own, so he quickly sets me in the middle of the other room, leaves and closes the door.

I get dressed, and brush out my short hair. I notice it's starting to grow past my shoulders, so I make a mental note to ask Camilla to cut it either today or tomorrow. I put on my black headband, which blends in with my hair. I frown slightly that I wouldn't be able to wear that flower that was stomped into the ground, so I grab the black and white bows, and weigh between them. After a few moments, I hear a knock on the door, and set down the white bow, quickly tie the bow into my hair, and open the door. I see Jakob standing there, holding a cup of tea.

The tea isn't nearly as good as the tea in that shop last night, but I figure it must be a different type of tea, so I finish my tea, snack of the puffy, soft pastries Jakob prepared, and get forced to put on the torture shoes, at least until I was outside. I immediately set out to find Camilla.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and I hope you have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night or whatever time it is for you at the moment.  
> Bye,  
> Karii Lynne


	3. To fall when not Trying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter starts off right where the last chapter ended, meaning, more bonding time between sisters. I’m really liking the sisterhood relationship between Camilla and Corrin. This is the chapter I struggled with most, and i don’t even know why. Anyways, this is the first real chapter that really shows the relationship between Soleil and Corrin, so I stress this like I did in the author’s note last chapter, do not read this if you are uncomfortable with a relationship between two female characters. Anywho, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, just let me know, and I’ll get right back to you. Enjoy.

* * *

 

I sit at the foot of Camilla’s bed, well her bed here in the Astral Plain, as she cuts my hair, which was just starting to get to that uncomfortable stage where it was too short to do anything, yet too long to keep loose. She takes hold of conversation.

“So, how was that date last night?”

“Camilla, that wasn't a date, just an unexpected instance of drinking tea with someone else. Not a date.”

“Then why did Azura say that by all appearances, it was a date, you can't lie to your big sister.”

“It wasn't a date,” I say defensively, quickly thinking to myself,  _ “No matter how much I would have liked it to be.” _

“How about this... Do you like Soleil?”

“Not in the way you're thinking,” I say, instinctively biting the back of my cheek. I mentally swear when Camilla gives a bemused chuckle.

“You know you can't be with her, right? I mean, Father expects you to give him an heir, and you and I both know that can't happen with you two. I know he wouldn't fall for a façade either.”

I nod, “I know... But it's just... I don't like anyone applicable, and isn't that the basis of all relationships?”

“Yes, but I may have a solution. Your situation has me reading several books on ways to help, one of them is a magic powder derived of peonies, which according to that one book Elise had twelve copies of, ironically translates to your situation, shame, which you have for the second reason, gay life, which could have a few meanings, one of them is what you are living, and the last meaning is a happy marriage, which you need to impress Garon. All you need to do, is grind white peonies into sugar making powder, and drink it a few times a day. Supposedly, it makes women appear as men, and men as women, which should help you break the ice.”

“I don't know about that, what if it doesn't work?”

“Then you'll be out some sugar and a peony or two.”

“Fine, I'll give it a try, I know you don't want to lose both your sisters,” I say, almost instantly regretting the statement.

Camilla pinches my cheek, “I'd stop him if I could, everyone knows that the world would be awfully boring without you.”

“Thanks Camilla.”

 

I secretly swap the sugar in my treehouse with the peony powder Camilla explained, just a few moments before Jakob walked in to make afternoon tea. Around the room, it looks as if nothing had broken earlier, the only evidence was the missing vase. After a few moments, Jakob pours the tea, and I add a spoonful or two of the magic powder, peony sugar, and drink my tea. Not the best flavor in tea, but not terrible. My eyes begin to hurt, so I close them, attempting to not raise suspicion, I give a content sigh, hoping Jakob just thinks this is the best tea yet.

I soon finish my tea, and once the pain in my eyes subsides, I open them. I turn and see Jakob, but not quite. His face definitely more feminine, and weirdly enough, it appears he changed into the maid outfit, not the typical butler suit. I give a true smile, this stuff works.

“Best tea yet, Jakob,” I say, not actually lying, flavor wise, not the best, but it really works.

“I live to serve,” Jakob says, making me cringe slightly. There’s no change in his voice, not the soft soothing sound of a woman’s, but still his original voice. This’ll take some getting used to.

 

I wake up earlier than usual, due to a knock on the door. I walk over, open the door to see another white camellia on my doorstep. I pick it up, admire the flower for a moment, and walk inside to so change into my normal clothes. When I get to doing my hair, I put on my typical hairband, and leave both my white and black bows in the drawer, weaving the flower into my hair, and I go patrol around my castle. I walk around my castle, just realizing how lucky I am to have the ability to live here for an eternity, and very little time will pass is the real world. I start heading to the Mess Hall, until I feel someone poking me in the shoulder. I turn to see Soleil holding a basket, looking at my hair, a bit of rosiness in her cheeks.

“Corrin, Lady Corrin, sorry, I was wondering, if maybe, possibly, you could have a picnic with me? If you wanted, you don't have to,” Soleil asks, not the same cool personality she normally had. Typically, Soleil would walk up to a girl, and not second guess herself, or look embarrassed. She manages to fail fail at doing either of those.

“I...” I start to decline, then I see that smile, the smile of confidence, the one that seems to shine like the sun, I can't bring myself to decline with that, “would love to.”

I follow Soleil around, through possibly the most convoluted route to the Nohrian Glade, next to the open gates, gazing upon the Astral Sea. Lilith asked me the first time I was here, how I wanted this castle to be stylized. I had my options down to the Nestrian Style, all gates gazing upon ocean, with several canals and rivers, or a basic Nohrian style, with tall green trees. I decided to have the Nohrian style, with the leftmost gate gazing on the sea for an occasion such as this.

Soleil stops right at the gate, looking out and smiling again, “This place works, right? I saw this the first day I was here, and the view was almost as stunning and pretty as yo-my home back in my Deeprealm “

Soleil laughs awkwardly, and I help her set up the quilt to eat on. Sh motions for me to sit before she sits herself, and opens the basket. There are sealed bowls of rice, small chunks of seared steak with a thick salty and sweet sauce I remember fondly from Hoshido. The entire dish itself screams of Hoshidan origin. The next piece of food was small balls of rice with slices of fish on top, and fish and bean balls. All very Hoshidan foods, the tea was a white tea, almost exactly what I drank while in Hoshido. Soleil even hands me a pair of chopsticks to eat everything with, while she takes a fork to her food. I start eating until I formulate a question.

“Why did you decide to cook a Hoshidan meal, and go through the trouble to make sure the utensils were correct for the meal, excusing your own fork,” I ask, taking another bite of the delicious rice and meal bowl.

Soleil swallows her most recent bite, “Well, a little flower told me that you enjoyed Hoshidan foods, and they told me a few specific dishes you love, and another flower told me how to actually make this. One of the two mentioned that since you came back to Nohr, you still prefer eating with chopsticks, so I figured that it’d only be polite to make sure you had the tools to make your meal ever more enjoyable.”

I smile, “Why thank you Soleil, that means a lot.”

We eat for a few moments, and I make sure to drink my “medicine” and Soleil finally asks, “Why did you decide to go with Nohr?”

I open my eyes, so astonished by her question to actually realize she hasn’t changed. I stutter out, “W-well, during my time in Hoshido, I... Well, I watched my mother die, trying to protect me, and I kinda, got so angry I destroyed the entire plaza and surrounding locations. I actually, almost killed your mom, both my brothers, one of my sisters...” I shake my head for a moment, “Even before that, I had a hard time talking with my Hoshidan siblings. I loved them yes, but it was at arm’s length, and that meant I had a hard time getting close to them. The last two or three weeks or so, Azura helped me break down that wall, so deciding Nohr over them became a painful experience. I just knew that... Well, lets say my Nohrian siblings are a lot more accepting than my Hoshidan ones, and I learned that through hypothetical questions. They had a hard enough time with me after I destroyed a town, but then ruining their bloodline with being part dragon, and further... nevermind.”

Soleil grabs my hand, causing my heart to flutter momentarily, “So, you chose Nohr because you felt more accepted here than there? I just can’t imagine them being upset about you for being a dragon, I mean, that is so totally cool, I would think they would want you to stay there, so you could have an heir that had that same power, and then those Hoshidan dastards would have super soldiers to conquer Nohr.”

Her last comment stops me from saying anything for a moment, “Well, I know I am more accepted here, but with your last comment, Hoshido isn’t like that. They just want to get this war done with, losing the least amount of soldiers on either side. They really don’t want to fight.”

“Well, I want to be done with war for now, so, can we get back to lunch?” Soleil asks, giving me her iconic smile, letting go of my hand, and taking another the fish bean ball and eating it happily.

I smile, her’s is really infectious, and start eating again.

“So, who gave you the flower?” Soleil asks, a quite different change in subject, a somewhat smug look on her face.

“I honestly don’t know. I found it just outside my door this morning, and the night before last, but that one incidentally got destroyed by a butler I won’t mention.”

“What does the flower mean? I remember my mom making a comment that you know of this language and different meanings of flowers.”

“You’re adorable.”

“Aww, thank you.”

“No...” I force myself to not to say that she is, “That’s what a white camellia means.”

“So, you have a secret admirer? Or a lover that believes their love is unrequited, or even someone who loves you dearly, but believes it to be wrong to explore a relationship with you, or all three.”

I chuckle slightly, having a hard time imagining anyone actually liking me that way, “I take it you have a few leads then, due to how much you’re inquiring about this.”

“Well, you did say this butler destroyed the last flower, which could be a cover to remove the suspicion away from him. He may believe it to be forbidden to be with you, because of your master servant relationship.”

I nod, finishing the last few bites of food, so I thank her for the food, help clean up and leave. At least I have somewhere to start with this.

Hours later, not having been able to find Jakob after all that searching, I prepare for bed. Before getting into bed, I hear a familiar knock on the door, sprinting to the door, opening it as fast as possible, taking a step out to look out better, nothing.  I curse, looking at the ground finding another flower, a red rose. I stoop down, and grab the stem, trying t be careful of any thorns, only to see, there are no thorns, or even marks of cutting off any thorns. I take it inside, and place it in a vase of water, a vase I stole from Camilla’s last time I was there. I remember some deep meaning behind such a flower, but ignore it, and go to bed.

I toss and turn, unable to sleep. That stupid flower seems to nag me as I lay silently on my bed, impossible to get comfortable. I get up, get s drink of water, and try to sleep, to no avail. Deciding it's pointless, I get out of bed, light a candle, and search for that book, and flip pages until I reach the chapter on roses, “In Nohrian literature, the rose is a common expression of love, namely the ones that are of the red shade. White and yellow roses are typically associated with innocence and friendship respectively. There is one form of rose that is exceptionally hard to find, but the meaning is equally rare. The thornless rose. A yellow thornless rose simply means instantaneous friendship, while a coral thornless rose means instantaneous desire. The rarest of these rare roses match the near impossibility of the meaning, the red thornless rose, simply meaning, true love at first sight. The rosebud in Nohrian literature...”

Someone’s in love with me. I really hope I don’t break their heart.

 

I study that book Elise gave me all those years ago, figuring whoever sent me this small collection of flowers probably will send more. It would be best to have most of them known by heart, to avoid incidents like the one that Jakob insists he didn’t do. A week or two passes before Azura insists our army takes a day to relax, using the same ship we had traveled to Hoshido in, but on the Astral Sea. The host brings back bad memories, mostly of the feeling of being betrayed. I still see the marks in the deck where Leo used Brynhildr to kill Shura, believing him to be a liability. I can't blame him, he stole nearly half our allotted gold for our campaign in Hoshido, which we only recovered part of the missing funds. Death just isn’t fun, or good. So many pointless deaths that could have been avoided had Hoshido not declared war on Nohr. There was Scarlet of Cheve, who joined Hoshido finding that time to be the opportune time to rebel against Nohr, but if Hoshido wasn’t involved, we four have negotiated terms to not get anyone killed. Next is Shura, because he wants his home back, so if we weren't at war, he would just be the thief that harmed few. Then there’s Elise who wouldn’t have fallen ill if we weren't at war, but even if she did, if Ryoma hadn’t been at the palace, we could have saved her. There was the Rainbow Sage, who despite being old, wouldn’t have died if I had to go there to awaken the Grim Yato. There was also Mother, who I don’t know if she would have survived even if we weren’t at war, because she was the beginning.

I look around, and realize there are boats trying to broadside us, and there’s even a Sky Knight talking with Azura. I shake my head to clear my thoughts, sometimes it best to not get lost in thought. I walk up to the Sky Knight, noticing that she looks exactly like Azura, then she starts talking.

“Mother, I’m sorry for leaving my Deeprealm, it was attacked, and... I don’t know if I would have been able to survive,” the voice is much too deep to be a woman’s, reality shattering like glass, then everything changes to how it was supposed to be.

“It’s alright Shigure, I’ll get someone to heal you up, and then you can go below decks to stay safe,” Azura says calmly, looking over her shoulder and seeing the two ships.

“Mom, with all due respect, I’m going to fight with you on this one.”

Azura nods, less than a moment later, Jakob is holding a staff to Shigure. I watch him wince as his wounds come back together, it's never comfortable to be healed like that.

I look around at the soon to be battlefield, seeing the bigger flag on the ship on the right side of our boat. I run to Camilla.

“Camilla, typically when pirates attack like this, once their leader is gone, they’ll disperse, so, if you can drop me off on the flagship over there, I can stop this before we all die. Will you do that?” I point to the flagship.

“No Corrin, that is much too dangerous for you, it would be better if you had at least one other person to fight with you, say... Jakob perhaps,” Camilla gives a bemused laugh.

“Anyone but him, please.”

“Anyone? Then perhaps Soleil. You haven't let her fight once since she joined, maybe it's time to get her in the game.”

“I take it those two are my only choices,” Camilla nods, “Well, because I'm not on speaking terms with Jakob, I guess I'll take Soleil.”

“I thought you might.”

She flies off, only to come back a moment later with Soleil, has me climb on, and she drops the two of us on the enemy ship, leaving as fast as possible. Cursing my hindsight and leaving Yato back in my quarters, I grab my dragonstone from the latch on my belt, and summon the feral rage trapped inside the stone. It takes most of my mental strength to not go into another blind rampage, ironically speaking. My dragon form has no eyes, per say, but enhanced hearing and smell make up for the lack of sight, allowing me to avoid hitting Soleil during her dancing fighting style. Like father, like daughter.

The smell of blood gets really strong when I realize, everything is dead. I change back, thankful to have my sight back, and find Soleil standing halfway across the ship, staring. 

I run up to her, “Are you okay?”

All I get in response is her closing her eyes, and falling forward onto me, her head on my shoulder. 

“Soleil!”

No response this time, so I pick her up, and sprint onto one of the planks connecting this ship to ours, and set her down on the deck, and find a healer. I see her face, a slight smile on her face, and when I return from getting Felicia, Soleil is sitting up, smiling like an idiot.

I sigh and shake my head, “Well, my klutzy little maid, she was out cold, so just check her over, and move to the next one.”

Felicia grumbles something incoherent, probably a curse of some form, and walk to Soleil, and I walk away seeing the coast of my castle a lot closer than I had expected. I sit over the bow of the ship, bare feet hanging over the edge, getting touched by the salty spray of the ocean. I hold onto the wooden railing to make sure I don't fall in, and stare at the gray waves.

I hear someone walking up despise me, “So, you could say my daughter has been, falling for you.”

I sigh, stand up, and turn towards the speaker, Laslow, “No, all she did was make me worried sick.”

I regret my comment as soon as I say it, as Laslow’s next comment is, “So you're saying that when she fainted, you thought she died, and you thought you'd never talk to her again? How scandalous.”

I sigh again, pinching the bridge of my nose, “Not like that Laslow. Never think it's anything like that.”

“Well, you’ve obviously both taken a liking to each other, I saw that spark the first day you met. I felt the same when I met Azura, that feeling that the world is a lot less gray or dismal, just since the moment you meet this other person. I was even told of a lunch the two of you had together, Hoshidan foods if I remember correctly. Don’t take this the wrong way, but one of you two will have to either tell the other that a relationship is never going to happen, that is if it isn’t, before it gets to the point where  it breaks one of your hearts. No one wants that.”

Was this man basically giving me permission to ask his kid out? It doesn't matter, I have a duty to Nohr... One that is nearly impossible to complete, one that would make me miserable to actually go through with. I sigh again, half considering to go find Soleil, end whatever small feelings she had for me, and I her, but something else tells me not to, the same one that told me not to ask out Azura all those months ago.

“You’re right.”

“Does that mean you have a plan?”

I shake my head, thank him for his advice and leave to go be alone again, I really need to get lost in thought, it’s the best way to think through things like this.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and I hope you have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night or whatever time it is for you at the moment.  
> Bye,  
> Karii Lynne


	4. Life of the Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I'm updating early today, anywho, this story may be shorter than planned. I’m on chapter four already, and I’m already at this point. If you’ve made it this far, I know you know the warning by now, and if you went through the last chapter, then you probably want to read this, so I’m going to stop giving the warning. Anywho, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, leave a review or a private message, and I’ll get to you as soon as possible. Enjoy.

* * *

 

I wander around my castle, inside today, not the grounds outside. I’ve never actually explored this place before, I don’t know what stopped me. Due to what happened only a few days ago, I keep Yato on my hip, feeling as a fight might start at any moment, I’d best not be unprepared. I walk down an unexplored hallway, walk into a curiously looking door, open a mysterious closet, and fall flat on my face. When I hit the ground, it isn’t wood nor stone, but grass and dirt. The calm wind makes little noise, and the whole place gives the air of peace. I’m too calm to actually have fear of being somewhere new, until I feel something sharp and metal at my back.

“Frederick, what have I told you about threatening people that are merely laying in the grass?” 

I see blue boots, for someone with extremely small feet, almost making their legs look like stumps. The matal object is removed from my back.

“There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know,” the small feet person says, as he picks me up to stand me upright.

“Chrom! Why do you insist on using that joke every time you see someone laying on the ground?” A small blonde girl in an ungodly yellow dress screeches at the top of her lungs at who my guess is Chrom.

“Lissa, some people laugh when I say it, it helps make is so the strangers aren’t scared of us. You’ve seen Frederick, he intimidates a lot of people.”

“Fine, you got me there,” Lissa turns towards me, “Did you think my brother’s stupid joke was funny, or no?”

“Well, the joke needs some work, but I find the ground her to be quite comforting to take a nap.”

“What makes you say that?” Chrom asks, looking extremely concerned.

“Well, back home, the land doesn’t really emanate the same peaceful calming aura that this place does.”

“Well, that’s Ylisse for you.”

“Ylisse? What’s that?”

“The Halidom you are currently standing in,” the armor clad Frederick says, frowning a lot, almost scowling.

“Give her a break Frederick,” Chrom says, turning back to me, “Where are you from?”

“Nohr.”

I see Lissa’s eyes shine with fascination, “And your name?”

“Corrin.”

I see Frederick roll his eyes, and Lissa’s jaw almost drop off her face.

“You’re telling me that you’re the Princess Corrin of Nohr?”

I nod, mildly shocked that they knew who I was without even really telling them.

“Can I see you turn into a dragon? I always wanted to see one.”

My eyes fling wide open, and I take a few steps back, “How’d you know about that?”

“She plays quite the actress, she even has a replica on the famed Yato.”

“I am no actress, Sir Frederick, I am just extremely confused about what happened the last thirty seconds or so.”

“Well, there are several books that were written so long ago that we don’t know if they’re actually history or fiction. There was a character, The Princess Corrin, born in the kingdom of Hoshido, raised in the kingdom of Nohr. The Hoshidans, mean vile people, try at every turn to bring back Corrin, and these Hoshidans killed Corrin’s sister trying to get her back to her birth family. After her sister’s death, Corrin met her wife to be, and they lived happily ever after.”

“There are a few corrections that need to be made there, but that is my life.”

“Do you have two left feet?”

I nod, and she looks down at aforementioned feet.

“Do you have pointy ears?”

Another nod.

“Can you turn into a dragon?”

A third nod.

I hear the two words I really don’t like hearing, “Prove it.”

“Lissa, aren’t the feet and the ears proof enough?”

“I actually agree with Chrom on this one milady.”

“Prove. It.”

I sigh and shrug, “I’m not responsible for any damage I may cause, the Hoshidans are still mad I destroyed their capital. Although, if you have a wyrmslayer or two handy, you may need them.”

“Corrin, you really don’t need to do this,” Chrom says starting to step forward, only to get stopped my Frederick’s lance.

“If it’s what the lady wants,” I say, grabbing my blue dragonstone, and focus on the concealed energy that both it and I share.

Moments later, I see nothing. I hear the heartbeats of the three standing before me quicken, the shifting of armor, unsheathing of swords. I smell fear wash over them, they stand there, like frightened little rabbits. It takes mental restraint to not attack, so I use my remaining willpower to change back. It is always easier to do this when in battle.

I stand and open my eyes to see the three new people in the same amount of shock I imagined they were in, “Is that proof enough Lissa?”

She nods slowly. The fear subsides, “So, have you met Soleil yet?”

“What about her?”

“Well, have you gotten married?”

“No... Why?”

“Oops, I guess I just spoiled your life there. Sorry. Just know, your birthday is your chance, you’ll know what I mean when you get there, not for marriage though, just so you know.”

I nod, and those three people leave, and I start walking back to where I had fallen in, trip over a pebble, and my head hits stone. I’m home.

 

I hear the familiar knock on my door before bed. I’ve long given up on trying to catch the assailant, and taken it upon myself to figure the meaning of the flower before the morning, otherwise a specific butler would accidentally shred the entire thing before it could really be admired. Today’s flower, stock. Dozens of tiny six petaled flowers all connecting to the stem, color ranging from a pure white to a subtle pink. I place the flower in the newest of vases, all of them end up getting shattered. I flip open Elise’s old book, and find the part on stock.

“The stock, has but one accepted meaning, directly translating to you’ll always be beautiful to me. There is not much diversity despite the wide color pallet this flower can represent, thus the flower is typically given to a spouse, or long time partner, and the color is to match the eye of the receiver.”.

I smile at the stock, and feeling the weight of my eyes more than before, blow out the candle, and go to bed. I wake to the smell of coffee, not tea this morning, more glass shards on the ground, and a smiling Jakob standing above my bed.

“I’m sorry Lady Corrin, it seems that with every passing day I take more habits of Felicia. Allow me to carry you to your changing room.”

Without any acknowledgement, I’m picked up bridal style, and taken to my changing room, and the door closes slowly behind Jakob today, something seeming a little off today, more than just coffee instead of the typical tea. I shrug it off, keeping my dragonstone handy, the weight of the stone should be enough to hit him upside the head if he gets anymore crazy than usual. I get dressed as quickly as possible, and open the door to another smiling Jakob, who picks me up and sits me down in my seat, and he takes the one opposite me. Pouring two cups of coffee. I cringe slightly when he uses my same special sugar, the peony powder, but try not to raise suspicion when he takes a sip of coffee with the powder in it. I casually drink my coffee, the same as I normally would, waiting for Jakob to exhibit some of the minute side effects of the powder.

I watch the pain grow in Jakob’s eyes, so he closes them like I have done, and I see him open his eyes, and drop his cup.

“Lady Corrin? Is that you?”

This could be pretty fun, so I attempt to deepen my voice a bit, without making it seem forced and fake, “Lady? It’s me Corrin, you usually call me Lord Corrin, where does the lady come from?”

I fight the urge to laugh at the flustered woman’s face I was seeing, kinda cute if I could say so myself, but the voice was still much too deep, shattering the reality, something happening  more often than it used to.

“I’m sorry Lord Corrin, I don’t know what happened, for whatever reason, I remembered serving you as a girl, that I... Nor the lord sitting before me, my apologies. I’ll go now, I don’t remember what I was going to say anyways.”

He finishes his coffee, and walks out the door, not even clearing any of the glass on the ground. Once he’s out the door, I burst out in laughter, this could be fun if he insists on drinking tea or coffee every morning. I stop myself from laughing more, and walk out the door, remembering something I had forgotten, my birthday. March 23rd..I walk to Camilla’s room, knock on the door, walk in, and find her sitting on her bed, scissors  in hand, patting the seat before her. I sit down, and she cuts my hair.

“Happy birthday Corrin, how do you feel?”

“Pretty good, you?”

“Can’t complain.”

Silence lingers in the room, before she asks, “How are the peonies working?”

“They were working great, but then they stoped working very well, everything changing back to usual once I realize it’s not real.”

“How often have you been using it?”

“Everyday, why?”

Camilla is silent again, a scolding tone when she finally speaks again, “That’s your problem. I didn’t tell you not to take it every day because I figured you would be smart enough to not do something stupid like that. Seriously Corrin, that was a dumb move.”

“Not my fault, I didn’t fully understand the responsibilities of  trying to fix a problem.”

Camilla makes a few more snips of hair, “Well, oh well. Now, Azura has the dress you’ll need for tonight, we’re having a ball for your birthday.”

“Can we not?”

“No silly, we already have everything planned, I even asked Jakob to make you coffee to help wake you up better this morning.”

That explains it, at least part of the weirdness Jakob was showing. I dare not confess my doing to Camilla. I thank her for her time, and I leave I guess I have to find Azura for my dress. I walk down the hall, only passing four or five doors, and walk in, sure enough, Azura stands there with a black and gold dress, a moveable changing wall in the corner of the room, and she draped it over the wall, and I begin changing into the black dress.

Azura starts the conversation, “So, how are you doing?”

“Pretty good, I have a party tonight that I didn’t know about, and that I don’t want to go to.”

“Did you already try that one with Camilla?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s not going to work with me either.”

I sigh, getting frustrated that I wouldn’t be able to get out of this, unless, “And if I turn into a dragon, and destroy everything acceptable to wear, such as this dress and the entire party?”

“You’d still have to go, no matter what.”

I grumble, finally getting the black dress on. It provides a nice contrast to my pale skin, just enough gold here and there to show that it is not the embodiment of inescapable darkness. The straps over my shoulders are no wider than two of my fingers, each side  a strand of gold colored fabric outlining them. The dress goes down almost touching the ground, yet short enough I won’t trip, and long enough to help hide my two left, bare feet. I hear a familiar knock on Azura’s door, and Azura opens it, revealing Soleil, holding an orchid., black in color. The definition pos in my head as I’m handed the flower, A lovely beautiful lady. I feel my face begin to warm up as I lace it into my hair, seeing both Azura and Soleil smile happily. Soleil stands there smiling, a tiny bit of pink now coloring her face, and Azura shoos her away, saying that she now has to get ready. I look out the window, not realizing how much time has gone by, more than half the day has been spent cutting hair and dressing in a dress. I attempt to leave, only to get yelled at by Azura, so I sit on her bed, and wait for approval. A single question begs for me to ask, and after enough holding it back, if forces it’s way out.

“Azura, before you met Laslow, like about when we first met, and hypothetically, if  I...”

“Corrin, I already know what this question is, and yes, probably, but I know you know that right now, it wouldn’t be as perfect as you and some other person, or me and Laslow. We both know it’s better that we didn’t let that ship sail, but it still could’ve been nice.”

I promptly shut up. Several moments later, Azura walks out from behind her curtain wearing a white dress, that really just looks like a modified version of her typical clothing.

“Can I go now?”

Azura nods as she opens the door, sign Laslow standing there in a white suit, and she takes his arm, and walks down the hallway, so I follow behind as to not get lost, and stay out of earshot despite my enhanced hearing, so they are small figures in the hall, looking no bigger than the head of a spoon. Eventually, I make it to the Ball Room,, seeing buffet tables lining the walls, mostly consisting of small cubes of food, impaled with tiny wooden sticks. Numerous maids and butlers walk around, holding large platters with stemmed glasses with white and red wines. I steal one of the glasses, and sip it slowly, crossing my fingers, hoping to see a drunk Leo tonight, the one way to get him to stop being so cold and rigid. Yet, it’s what’s across the room that simply answers the only thing I actually wanted to see at this party, and I just didn’t realize that was all I wanted.

A girl, standing on the other side of the room, miraculously not being blocked by the other people here, wearing the same black dress I am. Light blue hair with a white and gold headband. Soleil. I begin to blush as I walk around people to make my way over, a variation on Laslow’s words ringing in my head, “You both obviously like each other, so it’d be better to tell her it’s not going to happen sooner rather than later.”

What If I did the opposite? I set my now empty glass on a moving silver platter, and walk up to Soleil, gaining more courage the more I walk closer.

“Viscaria?” I ask, cursing myself for asking her a flower name.

“I’d love to,” Soleil almost sings, taking my hand and we start dancing.

How’d she know that viscaria was asking, “Will you dance with me?”

I shrug it off, the instant Soleil grabs my hand, I see Leo talk with the band, and they change the song to a much slower, more intimate one. I see Soleil blush darker than I’ve ever seen before, and I probably am doing the same. One of the butlers with silver hair passes us, and once they pass, I find myself on the ground next to Soleil, and I stand up, and help her up.

“Sorry about that, I have no rhythm like mom or dad,” Soleil apologises, looking at her own feet.

“Actually, it’s probably my fault, I have two left feet, makes it quite hard to dance.”

She looks at my feet, and chuckles a little bit, and we continue to dance through a few more songs. We both find some seats, and eat some, as personally, it has been the only thing I’ve eaten today. After a while, we start dancing again, then both stand on the balcony not too far away from the actual party.

“A single rose in full bloom,” Soleil says, quite rushed, the blush on her face deeper than before.

“What?”

“Just a flower.”

“But, every flower has a meaning, hell, absentmindedly, earlier tonight, instead of actually asking you to dance I merely asked Viscaria, which in and of itself means will you dance with me. So, what is so specific about a single rose in full bloom?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Soleil, ever since I met you I haven't seen you embarrassed, We’re friends, you telling me what this one flower means can’t possibly change anything.”

She looks down again, mumbling, “I love you.”

“What? Me? How? When? What?”

Soleil laughs, me being flustered seems to give her confidence, “ I love you, that’s what the flower means, I just was quizzing myself, mom got a book from Elise, she gave it to me a year or two before I left my Deeprealm, she thought it might be good for me to learn it.”

“Oh... I hadn’t realized...”

She laughs again, and then I smell cake, instantly forgetting the conversation at hand, so I drag Soleil back to the party. Sure enough, once I get back in there, I see Jakob and Felicia rolling in a massive cake,  The chocolate on the outside is nearly black, and the cake on the inside looks gold, quite fitting for the party. I get handed a plate of cake, and I go sit down, Soleil following not long after me. Once the majority of the guests have cake, Xander taps a fork to his glass, ringing out the entire room.

“A toast, to the best commander we will ever serve for,” He raises his glass, followed by everyone else, “Corrin, happy birthday, Anakos knows you need to have a good day every once in awhile. Now that you’re another year older, I expect you to be that much more competent with a sword, you were quite rusty once you got back from Hoshido.”

A small burst of laughter erupts from the crowd, and Azura is the next to speak, “Corrin, Kamui, whatever you want to be called, you’ve been one of the greatest friends I’ve been able to ever make, and you’ve made me feel more accepted here than I ever did in Hoshido, thank you.”

Camilla speaks next, “My little Corrin, happy birthday, you must be tired of hearing that already, but it needs to be enough for the next year, right? If Elise were here, she’d make sure there is a life of the party, knowing life is for the living, and that life is too short to not say the things you always meant to, or wanted to. So don’t wait that extra day, say what you’ve put off forever, and don’t wait another moment.”

I see Jakob take a few steps forward and open his mouth only to get interrupted by Leo, who by all mannerisms is very drunk, “Corrin, Happy birthday. The only thing... hic... I gave you is mistletoe to hang above your head and of that girl you’ve been dancing with all night. Hic... seriously, just kiss her... hic... I have the flower right here.”

He holds a thin blade out. Tied onto the end is a white string, and on the other side of the string was the three leaves along with the three red berries, definitely mistletoe, so drunk Leo was competent with flowers, who knew. He reaches the blade out, almost falling over, only getting caught by Xander, and the mistletoe hangs between me and Soleil. I can feel the blush on my face, making my face feel as if it’s melting, I quickly look over, and see Soleil with the same blush. Several moments of indecision pass.

I distinctly hear Laslow’s voice, “Kiss the girl, kiss the girl, kiss the girl.”

Soon, everyone is chanting along besides Soleil, Jakob and myself. Between the drunken crowd that hopefully won’t remember today, I can guarantee Leo won’t, the peer pressure, having one too many glasses of wine, and Lissa’s suggestion that tonight was my chance,  I turn to Soleil, “Well, I don’t think they’ll shut up until we do.”

She nods, and we move in close, closer, until our lips meet. Everything seems to go silent, and we close our eyes. It feels like eternity, but in reality is only a moment, a perfect moment, and I pull away, everyone cheering now, to the point of screaming now, so I take my leave, face burning from the blush, head aching due to the people, Needing to be alone, I stop by my treehouse, change out of my dress, into my black armor, feeling as it will be the most comfortable thing to wear at the moment, cut off a crimson rose off the bush just outside, and walk to Elise’s grave.

Part of me feels guilty for not visiting her earlier, not even on her birthday, which was only a few days ago. The old decaying flowers have been cleaned up, only two flowers sitting on the grave, a striped carnation and an arbutus. I laugh, dropping my crimson rose on the grave next to the flowers, and sit down on the dewy grass next to the stone. I just sit there for what feels like an hour before saying, “I’m sorry for not visiting on your birthday, but if it makes you feel any better, I forgot my own.”

I sigh, “Elise, what would you do if you were me? My heart wants one thing, while my head knows that I shouldn’t?”

Moments pass, more silence, “Yeah, I didn't think you had an answer. I just... You told me to be happy, yet being happy would mean my own demise, poppies, utter destruction, but... Why did I have to agree to those terms?”

I grab my knees, bury my toes in the solt ground, breaking through the barrier of grass, and close my eyes to help clear my thoughts, only one thing popping in my head, white violets. I sigh, of course a flower was the answer, when was it not? I hear approaching footsteps, so I stand up, and make it look like I’m mourning more than I had been.

“Milady Corrin?” I turn to see Jakob standing, hands behind his back.

“Yes Jakob?”

“Why are you doing this to yourself?”

“Mourning? Isn’t that was a sister is supposed to do for her dead sister?”

“Well yes, but that’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean then?”

“Your... predicament with Garon.”

My eyes widen, “How’d you know about that? Only the royal family knows, not any servants are supposed to know.”

“I... overheard when he delivered his sentence.”

“You were eavesdropping?”

“I prefer the term overheard, but yes.”

“So what was your question?”

“Why do you... explore, this relationship with Soleil? Every moment you spend with her, you seem to be liking her more, thus meaning you won’t actually live to see the end of the war. So, in other words, why are you killing yourself?”

I stare at him for a moment, finally piecing it all together, “Because Jakob, even if I only get to be happy for a short while, no matter how selfish it may be, that’s enough. It’s either live happily for a while, or live miserably for an eternity.”

“Then how do you explain that powder you drank every morning, if being happy for a moment is so much better than living a long life? What made you change your mind?” Jakob asks, his voice almost hostile at this point, “Why?”

“Because.”

“Why?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes!”

“Well, I finally felt what it was like to be loved Jakob! More than as a sibling, more than a friend.”

He looks down at his feet, and mumbles something quieter than even I could pick up. Watching him, it seems something breaks, so he simply says something else, “You really are as clueless as they say.”

“What do you mean?”

“You claim to have never known to be loved before, then how do you explain me?”

“What?”

“Corrin, I have loved you ever since I met you, have you really been too blind to see it?”

I look at me feet, finding new fascination in them, reminding me of those shoes Jakob made, “Well, how do you explain making two right shoes, not left shoes?”

Jakob sighs, “Well, after I heard of King Garon’s terms, I figured that would be my time to make a move, as they say. So, you had that white camellia in a vase, and I took it upon myself to make you fall for me, so to say. I destroyed the flower, jealousy getting the better of me,  and once I did that, I realized if I destroyed the vase, it would be less suspicious. I noticed that by destroying the vase, it would leave glass on the ground, and I would feel terrible about getting you hurt. So, I made you shoes, but once I was done with them, I realized that if I made you right shoes, you’d stumble more than you already do, so I remade the shoes to be for right feet, so when you fell I could catch you. Then you abandoned the shoes altogether, so I carried you, providing the same purpose.”

I slap Jakob as hard as I can, popping in several places in my hand.

“I deserved that.”

“That’s something I would’ve expected from Laslow, before he got married, not you.”

“I can go make a cup of tea for you and...”

“No Jakob, you can’t”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not my butler anymore. You used me, destroyed my property, eavesdropped on personal matters, who knows how many more times you’ve eavesdropped on me, and intentionally put me in harm’s way. You have shown stalker tendencies. You’re fired. If you want to stay in this army, feel free, but you no longer get a place in the palace, and have to take residence in the barracks, and if you wish to leave, nothing’s stopping you. I’ll inform Flora and Felicia of their new duties, and I don’t want to see you again.”

“As you wish, Kamui.”

The way he says that name bring shivers down my spine, and he leaves. I sit back on the ground, next to Elise’s grave, and fall asleep, there’s been too much happening today.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I intentionally made Corrin's birthday the same day as the original update for this chapter, if you were wondering the significance. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed and I hope you have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night or whatever time it is for you at the moment.  
> Bye,  
> Karii Lynne


	5. Repercussions of the Day Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Well, I don’t really have anything to say, but if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, leave a review or a private message, and I’ll get to you as soon as possible. Enjoy.

* * *

The sun shines in my eyes, rousing me from sleep. I feel the chill from the previous night, dew from the grass below soaking the left half of my body, and I manage to stand, feet almost completely numb. I stumble across the courtyard of my castle, passing my only a few of the early birds, namely Xander and Laslow training in the glade. I make it to my quarters, momentarily dreading the fact I decided to have them in a treehouse, and climb and on my doorstep, lies a blue flower. I stoop down to pick it up, a primrose. In a drowsy daze, I open my door, and scan through Elise’s book, each word a blur. I flip through pages, not able to read any of the lettering, figure this is a pointless endeavor, and close the book, and go back to sleep, in my comfortable bed. Sleep is good.

I hear pounding on my door, and I turn a bleary eye, noticing the door actually shaking from the person behind it. I hear a sweet voice from the other side, but I know who it is, and one should run when they hear her use this voice, “Corrin, open up.”

Part of me wants to hide under my bed, another wants to climb out the window and fall to the ground, fifteen to twenty feet below and take my chances. More pounding on the door, and I hear the cracking of wood.

“No door will save you Corrin!”

“What?” I scream through the wall, and I hear the pounding stop.

“Open up for your sister, why do you have the door locked anyway?”

I open the door, staying behind it to avoid the sister on  the other side, “Why are you destroying my door exactly?”

“I was trying to wake you up.”

“By breaking down my house?”

“Yes? Is that a problem?”

“Camilla, you’ve been the one surrounded by people longer than me, shouldn’t you know that you don’t break down doors to wake someone up?”

Camilla waves this off, “So, how was your party?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember all that much,” I lie, scratching the back of my neck and biting the inside of my cheek.

“You’re biting your cheek again, which begs the question, why are you lying?”

Damn you forces of habit, “I well... I dunno,” I bite my cheek again. Dammit!

“Yeah, and I’m a Hoshidan slave secretly spying on Nohr to ensure the victory of the Hoshidan Royal Family, now, without lying this time, how was your party?”

“The cake was good. Best cake I had yesterday.”

She doesn’t look impressed, but goes along with it, “Then why did you leave earlier than everyone? It was your party anyway.”

“It was loud.”

“Where did you go afterwards?”

“To visit Elise, I’ve been neglecting to do that the last few days.”

“Really? The what did you do?”

“I fell asleep by her grave.”

“Anything else that happened between the time you got down there, and you fell asleep?”

“Nope,” another biting of my cheek, but I notice it this time, and immediately fix my mistake.

“Really?”

I clench my teeth together and I nod.

“Then why did Jakob visit me last night, at your party I might add, and say you fired him?”

“Because I fired him.”

“Why?”

“Sister, I don’t think my staffing decisions are of your concern.”

“Can you tell me, please?”

“He intentionally put me in harm’s way, invaded personal privacy, eavesdropped on conversations, and overall, made me uncomfortable to be around him.”

“So, he finally told you he loved you?”

“How’d you know about that?”

“He explained everything last night, I just wanted to hear you say it.”

I grumble and sigh, causing her to chuckle. I sit down on my bed with a plop.

“You sure you don’t remember anything from last night? There’s even a specific event that Leo remembers, care to take a guess at which one?”

“The cake, or was it the wine?”

Camilla laughs, “No, take another guess.”

“Him hitting it off with Selena?”

“No, what is the one event that you think everyone remembers, there was chanting, Leo holding Selena’s blade over your head, with a specific flower hanging over your head. Ring any bells?”

Of course I remember that. Although I was hoping everyone would’ve forgotten, that was all too embarrassing. I fall face down into my pillow, “Everyone remembers that?”

“Maybe not Niles, he drank way more than Leo, he might’ve been asleep during your groundbreaking reveal.”

I groan again. Why did I kiss Soleil? I sigh, standing up, “I need to go on a walk.”

“A walk right into Soleil’s bed? I bet you do,” Camilla laughs.

“Camilla, no, not that, possibly ever. Seriously.”

I grab Elise’s book, and leave, leaving the door open so Camilla will get the hint to leave soon. I head the one place I feel I can think.

 

I stare out at the Astral Sea, knowing that where I sit should have some sense of familiarity, but nothing strikes a memory. I listen to the waves lapping on the shore as I look through the book for two specific flowers, the primrose and the white violet.

“The primrose is a flower that meaning originates in Cheve. The meaning of the flower is often debated between a confession that the one who sends the flower cannot live without the other, and the other meaning simply means inconsistency. The original story goes...”

“Based on the previous flowers, it is safe to guess that this was supposed to mean that whoever sent it cannot live without me... Great.”

I flip to the back of the book, and find the section on violets, specifically white ones, “... always be true. The white violet however, means take a chance at happiness. This is often interpreted as either, let’s take a chance at happiness, or it is seen as will you please take a chance at happiness, and it matters on the relationship between the person giving the flower, and who is receiving the flower. The flower viscaria...”

“So, if it really was Elise trying to give me an answer, then this isn’t coincidence, or I just instantly thought of this... Whichever, I believe I already took that step towards that, right?”

“Kamui, are you alright?”

I turn at the sound of the voice of the person I probably don’t want to see when I’m figuring all this out, “Uh... Soleil, did you just call me Kamui?”

“Yeah, it sounds cuter than Corrin, don’t you think?”

“Uh... sure, it just, really the only ones that call me that are my Hoshidan Siblings, and they typically try to kill everyone.”

“Oh right... But, can I still call you Kamui?”

“Sure, whatever you like.”

“Anyways, what are you doing?”

“Looking up some flowers.”

“So, this mystery person gave you another flower?”

I nod, lowering my still open book as Soleil sits down next to me.

“A violet, huh... I would’ve thought that based on the other flowers given, they would’ve given you a flower such as a primrose, or a red rose for that matter, maybe even a thornless rose. Depends on how romantic they think they are.”

“No, this is for something else,” I close my book around my finger, “wait, did you just say primrose?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, hypothetically speaking, if you were the one to be doing this, I’m not saying you are, what color would this primrose be?”

She smiles as a blush invades her face sweat breaking her forehead, “Uh... well, I would try to figure out what your favorite color was, then give you a flower.”

“And if you weren’t able to figure that out?”

“Then... with all those flowers that color doesn’t matter, I’d give you a variety of colors, and see which one you responded best to.”

“So, hypothetically, if you had been giving me every flower, still not knowing which color to give, which color would be the best?”

“Bl-Pink, pink is the cutest of all colors.”

“So, blue?”

“I never said that.”

“Right,” I roll my eyes.

“What?” She’s getting flustered, this’ll be fun.

“They already gave me a pink flower,” I lie, although if you count the stock, technically I’m being honest right now, but it was more white than pink.

“Hey! I-They gave you a white stock, it did have some pink in it but still classifies as white.”

“Did you say I?”

“Uh... No?”

I set my book in the ground and look her right in her pretty blue eyes, “Really?”

“Well, that all matters on-” I shut her up with a quick kiss.

She stares at me for several moments, an adorable smile on her face.

“Soleil, I know it was you.”

“H-how?”

“Well, this last conversation, our entire conversation during my party, and you really can’t lie.”

“Hey, I’m better than you at least, you always bite your cheek, which is quite easy to see once you notice it.”

“Meh.”

“The white camellia basically defines you right now, you can’t deny that the slightest bit.”

“And the yellow tulip defines you at every moment.”

“Which one is that again?”

I roll my eyes again, “There is sunshine in your smile.”

She gives an award winning smile, “Single rose in full bloom.”

“And I you,” we kiss again.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoyed nuntheless and I hope you have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night or whatever time it is for you at the moment.  
> Bye,  
> Karii Lynne


	6. The Home of Once, Battleground of Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, another late update, sorry again. I just didn’t have much time to actually write, so, that means later updates, and this one happens to be fairly short as well. What happened to the plot you ask? Well, there is actually some non-fluff plot here, I may or may not have gotten sidetracked by exploring Soleil and Corrin’s relationship, but this chapter miraculously has plot, meaning that there are more spoilery stuff in this chapter, I really apologize for that, but this is really the last eight chapters, except for the actual last chapter, since I’m changing it up a bit. So, if you have decided to make it this far, and don’t want spoilers for the last part of the game, I advise bookmarking this page, finishing the game or watch a walk-through if you haven’t played the game, and come back afterwards. Anywho, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, leave a review or a private message, and I’ll get to you as soon as possible. Enjoy.

* * *

 

Hoshido is quite pink this time of year. Fields of sakura, cherry blossom, trees bring contrast to the winter months I had spent here. Petals dance in the wind as branches sway. For a moment, I almost regret leaving.

“Kamui, I know where we should have our honeymoon,” Soleil almost sings next to me, stealing my hand to hold in hers.

“Then let’s hope Hans and Iago don’t destroy the place when they pass through.”

“No one with a heart would destroy this place.”

“Yes, I agree, that means we still have to worry about those two.”

She laughs her sweet laugh, the one that hides fear, and we continue walking down towards Fort Jinya.

Hoshido is almost conquered, and something feels as if it has been forgotten. That can’t be good.

Fort Jinya, the second to last major defensive guard until Castle Shirasagi. I see several, almost maze-like walls, archery posts behind the walls.

“Crap,” I mutter, seeing the walls, it won’t be easy getting fliers past the archers.

I turn towards the rest of our army, no one is within a ten foot radius of me besides Soleil. I walk towards them and they don’t seem to care, odd.

I shrug it off and say, “Okay, we’re at Fort Jinya, does anyone have any ideas how to get through, there are several walls that allow for very few people to pass through at a time, and once in there, it would be easy to pick us off one by one.”

“Well, the Nohrian Army can go gather the attention of the Hoshidans, while you and your little strike force goes in and take the fort,” a deep voice says behind me, making me jump, and I draw Yato out.

I see who it is, Garon, and I lower my blade, hiding my urge to kill him here and now, “Father, I didn’t realize you would be here, I figured you’d send Hans and Iago to watch over this momentous occasion.”

“Well, you’re conquering the new part of my kingdom, I must see the place. I must be the first one to sit on the throne, and I believe you have news for me.”

Crap, that’s what I forgot.

“Well, some things are worth the wait,” I say trying to divert conversation, “So, let’s take Fort Jinya.”

 

It’s amazing how fast a shuriken can make me drop a sword. Crimson blood drips off my fingertips as Yato clatters on the stone ground, and at that same moment, Soleil’s sword plunges through my attacker, Yukimura, and he falls. I scream a slew of swears and curses, using the words sword hand once, causing Odin to laugh, as Flora heals my torn open hand.

“Kamui!” A voice that I haven’t heard in a long time screams, “How can you do this to us? You really are as evil as Takumi says!”

I see Flora nod, so I run to where I heard my once sister’s voice.

“Sakura, it’s not what you think, I’ll make sure the rest of your siblings stay alive until after the war, in the meantime, you’ll have to be taken prisoner, I’m sorry.”

“Kam-Corrin, how can you be sure? You already betrayed us once, what makes us think you won’t again? You joined Nohr, you can’t be trusted.”

“Fine, but I can still save your life, Niles, take her away.”

He nods, taking Sakura and leaves. I walk over to where I dropped Yato, grab the hilt, and a black shoes stands on the blade. I look up to see Iago.

“Why did you spare that Hoshidan’s life?”

I let go and stand up, “Well, ever since what happened to Elise, we’ve been down one person that can use staves, and with how reckless some of us can be, and no matter how invincible others believe themselves to be, it’s hard to get through with the few healers we have. I know Sakura to be a very skilled healer from my time in Hoshido, so I figured, may as well replace what Elise would have done,” I lie, really i just didn’t want to watch another sister die.

“That is very sound logic miss Corrin, but do you expect to have her help you while you continue to take her homeland?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. What is to say she wouldn’t immediately betray us once we are within a stone’s throw of the next sibling I have to cut down?”

He looks impressed, and removes his foot, “You have a tactician's mind Corrin, although it could be better when strategizing in battle, but I think you’ll prove very valuable once Hoshido is taken.”

“Thank you Iago,” I grit my teeth together, getting a compliment from this guy is strange, and makes me feel uncomfortable.

 

“Hinoka, listen to me!” I order, her pegasus lies dead at my feet, “I don’t want to fight you. Sakura is safe, I just need something to prove I beat you, probably something bloody, and I rather it not be your head.”

“Sakura’s safe? How do you know?”

“She’s currently being restrained by one of my soldiers that is loyal only to me and Leo, he guarantees she’s safe.”

“And what made you not kill her?”

“I never wanted to kill any of you, not even in the beginning.”

“They why did you leave?”

“Because Hinoka, I felt more accepted in Nohr, and I know my Nohrian siblings better than I knew you. If you know anything about me, then you wouldn’t have to ask.”

“Kamui, I was your big sister, you could’ve told me anything.”

“Well, I tried, but I was scared, so I asked things hypothetically, and the answers I got weren’t actually accepting answers. It made me feel that I wasn’t going to make it there, but maybe in some other life I chose you over Nohr, I don’t know.”

“Tell me one thing that you feel you wouldn’t be accepted for, and I’ll listen to you and give you this naginata as proof as your victory.”

“Uh... well, I’m gay, not happy, well I am happy, for the most part, but the gay that means I like girls.”

“Right, I remember you asking about that... I thought you were asking because you were asking as a joke, so I answered as if it were. I’m sorry.”

“No need, I’m happy in Nohr, besides being under the rule of Garon, but you don’t need to feel bad about anything. Now hand me the lance, and you can be on your way.”

She nods, and losses her lance over.

“Bye Hinoka, hopefully we can meet again on less hostile terms.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and I hope you have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night or whatever time it is for you at the moment.  
> Bye,  
> Karii Lynne


	7. What we've Waited for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I finally finished, sorry for this being 9-10 days late, I really was trying to get it done, but found myself with more responsibility than anticipated. So, I apologize for that, but this is the last chapter, and everyone should be happy about that, right? Well, if you have any questions comments or concerns, just PM me, and I’ll get back to you when I can. Enjoy.

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I quickly scratch two words in the shaft of Hinoka’s lance, and I walk inside Castle Shirasagi, right up to the entrance of the throne room, not finding it surprising of what I see. Ryoma sits, waiting, listening to us enter, Raijinto laying on his lap. I hold Hinoka’s lance as I enter, and I look through the corners of my eyes, seeing the concerned looks of Camilla and Xander. The other side, I see Iago with almost a sadistic smile, so, I shiver for a moment, and continue walking towards my estranged brother.

“Lord Ryoma, what a surprise, I would’ve thought you met the same fate as your dear sister, Corrin, toss it over,” Iago says, waving his hand, motioning me forward.

I take a deep breath, and toss Hinoka’s lance at Ryoma, silently praying that he’ll read my somewhat hard to see message. He picks up the weapon and holds it as if it's the most delicate thing in the world. He stares at the weapon, and looks me right in the eye.

I see some emotion flash on his face, quickly changing to a saddened rage, “How could you? She was your sister, and you cut her down like everything else! Do you not feel remorse for all the pain you've caused?”

I stand there, something seems missing, the anguish. I fight a smile, he saw it. I cough to clear my throat, “I-I’m sorry bro-Ryoma, but nothing is going to stand in my way.”

“I wouldn't expect any less,” he says, something flying by my ear, nicking it slightly, landing on the ground behind me, making everyone take a step back, except Soleil, who draws her sword, and the two large doors fly closed, trapping the two of us with Ryoma.

He sets down Hinoka’s lance, and pulls out Raijinto, arcs of electricity snapping and cracking the air as the blade is drawn. He stands there, doing nothing but staring holes through me.

“Kamui, what is he doing?” Soleil asks in a hushed tone up against my ear.

“I don't know. Just know that whatever happens, single red rose in full bloom.”

“And the same to you,” she says, pecking my cheek before taking a few steps to the side.

I stare at Ryoma, who has lowered his blade, but still standing like a statue, and I draw Yato, and wait for him to make the first move. Nothing happens.

“Ryoma, what are you waiting for?” I ask, snapping my fingers to get his attention.

Moments pass, “Kamui. Are you happy?”

I'm not ready for such a question, “Why do you ask?”

“Just answer the question, are you happy?”

I look quickly over to Soleil, and back at Ryoma, “Yeah, we’re happy.”

“Would you have been happy if you had sided with Hoshido, or did you have to meet her to be happy?” Ryoma points at Soleil with his katana, who promptly raises her sword to block a possible attack.

I wait a little bit before answering, remembering my conversation with Azura that we had on my birthday, “I could’ve been happy, but it wouldn't be same, I don't  know how long it would've lasted, and I wouldn't be nearly as happy as I was before we invaded Hoshido.”

He nods, taking a few steps back and lowering his sword again, Soleil speaking up, “Why did you ask?”

He laughs slightly, “It's all our mom ever wanted for Kamui. Mikoto wouldn't of cared if Kamui left fo Nohr, or sided with Hoshido. She told me right before we left for the plaza the day she died, and told me that Kamui will have to make a choice very soon, and that no matter what happens, I have to let her make it, just as long as she was happy. I didn't realize it until I saw you two a few moments ago, that Kamui made the right choice.”

I immediately change the conversation to the matter at hand, “Brother, will you please let down your sword?”

I begin to hear muffled yells, making my ear twitch, “Kamui, that sound you just heard is the reason why I can't, just do me two favors.”

“What are they?”

He smiles and raises his sword, “Take my sword when I'm gone, and make sure you two live a happy life together, Hoshido this time of year is great for wedding receptions.”

I chuckle slightly, taking Soleil’s hand, and nod.

“Goodbye Kamui,” is uttered as Raijinto spins in Ryoma’s hand, and the blade pierces his torso. He smiles to hide the pain, falls to his knees, and again into the floor.

Tears fall as I grab the hilt of his sword, the doors sliding open, and I draw Raijinto, wipe off the blood, and sheath it in a proper sheath as people swarm the room.

 

I wander about with Soleil nearby, talking nonsense as we wait for Garon to summon us to the throne room. I awkwardly have Raijinto sheathed onto my back under my cape, Yato to my hip, a tome called Moonlight strapped to my leg, and my Dragonstone on my belt. It is already awkward to have these without Raijinto, but the extra sword makes my tattered cape hang awkwardly on my back. I feel something in my gut, telling me I forgot something, but I wave it off, and kiss Soleil instead of worrying.

“Lady Corrin, I'm sorry to intrude but I have a few things to tell you,” a familiar voice calls out, bringing chills up my spine, the voice of someone I don't want to see right now.

I respectfully distance myself from Soleil, and ask, still not facing the caller, “What is it?”

“Iago requests your presence, he says it's of the utmost importance.”

“That’ll be all.”

“As you wish, Lady Kamui,” the voice calls out again, bringing more shivers up my spine, and I hear footfalls from behind me dissipate.

I turn to Soleil, “I'll be back later.”

She laughs as I walk away, to where I can only guess where Iago is. I walk up the the sliding door, and open the door, and see Iago staring at Hinoka’s Lance, causing me to swear in my head and I walk forward.

“You wished to see me?”

“Ah, Lady Corrin, do you know why you’re here?” He asks, turning towards me.

“No, could you please explain?”

“I was perplexed, as you could imagine, about Late Ryoma’s behavior moments before those doors closed shut, why do you think that is?”

“He saw who he viewed as a sister bring up arms against him, and he wasn’t mentally prepared for that,” I say, just expressing my own feelings during this campaign.

“Interesting that you say that, because I found something on this lance, do you care to read it?” He asks handing me the lance from my sister, right where I wrote my message to Ryoma.

“She’s Safe, that’s what you see, do you not?”

“I saw Ryoma cutting something into the lance before he tried to kill me, he could’ve written that, easily.”

“I had faith in you Corrin, but when you lie to my face like that... It’s humiliating. I sent scouts out to find out if there was any suspicious activity out there, do you know what they found?”

“Nothing, because I killed everything that moved,” I lie again, habitually biting my cheek.

“No, but your tell is really bad, kinda adorable, but bad. I found your dearest sister with her two retainers, I could give the order at any moment to have them killed.”

“Why don’t you kill them now, I mean, they are you-our enemy, why wait to have them killed?”

“I wanted to have you happy, but it seems that even that can’t happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Garon promised me your hand in marriage while you were out battling for the glory of Nohr, he wanted to surprise you when you got back.”

“I won’t marry you.”

“I thought that might be the case, so, have fun in death,” he says,  pulling out a tome, and flipping through the pages.

Panicking, I clumsily draw Yato, and charge forward, stabbing Yato through him, blood seeping out, only proving that it wasn’t another illusion.

“How anti-climatic,” I mutter to myself, leaving his body behind, and flee, blood dripping on the carpeted floors.

 

I’m instantly reminded of standing in front of Garon back in Nohr, besides the fact that he isn’t sitting this time, and axe drawn and giving me a death glare. I quickly look around to see Xander, Leo, Camilla and Azura all standing behind me, weapons drawn, and Soleil next to me, both our swords drawn, waiting for Garon to make the first move.

“What do you mean you didn’t marry throughout the entire four year campaign?” He screams, “How did you fail at such a simple assignment?” 

“Her,” I simply say, pointing at Soleil, who blushes, taking another step closer to me.   

“You do realize this makes you a traitor? Had we discussed this before you set out on your campaign, you wouldn't have been dubbed a traitor, but because these weren't the terms of our agreement, you must die to keep up appearances.”

“You may try,” I cockily say, getting prepared for this fight.

“Iago!” Garon calls.

“Is dead, I killed him before we got here.”

“Hans!” He calls again.

Camilla coughs before saying, “He will need a hand, or two, and a head, of knowledge, especially with his, limp sailor’s legs.”

“What?” I ask, quite confused.

“I cut off his head, arms and legs, I was quite clear on that. He threatened to kill that adorable little prisoner of yours, and that would’ve made you sad, right Corrin?”

“Silence!” Garon yells, instantly making me and Camilla stop talking, “Are you saying, I no longer have reinforcements?”

“Yes, that's exactly what we’re saying.”

“Then you’ve won, as I am but one mere man, against an army.”

“So, this is you surrendering, why don't you drop your axe?”

He starts laughing, raising his axe, “I'll drop it, worry not.”

I lift my sword to deflect the strike when I hear from near the back of the room, “You are the oceans gray waves, destined to seek...”

I momentarily look back to see Azura singing a song that feels oddly familiar, and look back at Garon who looks as if he’s in pain. Only a few seconds later, a tree sprouts from Garon, killing him almost instantly, and I turn to Leo.

“He wanted to kill my sister, I couldn't let him do that,” he says, closing Brynhildr, Azura stops singing, and this feels almost as anticlimactic as Iago’s death.

“What do we do now?” I ask, sheathing Yato for hopefully the last time.

Xander speaks up, “Well, I have a peace treaty to write, a country to rule, and a new division to give to a governor, Leo probably needs to transfer the Hoshidan Libraries to Nohr for translation and study, Camilla needs to get a dress made, and you and Soleil need to get married before anything else happens?”

This makes Camilla chuckle, Leo choke on nothing, and Soleil and myself to blush and awkwardly leave.

 

My feet stand planted on the smooth wooden floors, back against the wall, blocking the door from opening. The pounding on the door shakes the hinges, rattling the entire door.

“Corrin, you need to get out sometime,” a woman’s voice calls, “Did you get cold feet?”

Touching my feet with my bare hand, I do feel quite the difference in heat, “My feet are cold yes.”

“Corrin, you need to come out of the closet sooner rather than later, you don't want to leave her at the altar.”

“But there's all those people there.”

“Most of which you have known for the last four years.”

“But-”

“No buts, don't make me get your favorite butler.”

“No! I'll get out.”

She chuckles, and I stand up, smoothing out the ripples in my dress before opening the door. I'm greeted by both Camilla and Hinoka, who themselves have gotten ready. 

“Kamu-Corrin, I have some questions regarding Ms. Soleil and your stay in Hoshido, King Xander wasn't explicitly clear on the details,” Hinoka blabbers out as I walk to my front door.

“Don't quote me on this, but what I understood of his explanation was that Soleil and I would be the Nohrian supervisors to how you run Hoshido, but I'm not sure.”

I hear a knock on the door. Turning the knob, I only see one thing when the door is open. A magenta zinnia. I smile, Putin h the flower on my desk, lasting affection is the one meaning for that flower, causing Camilla to speak up, “Awww.”

“Wait, what is so significant about a flower? It’s just a flower,” Hinoka says, only to get a copy of Elise’s book thrown in her face by Camilla.

“Study that, then and only then will we have a chance together.”

Hinoka blushes so deeply that her face turns the same color as her hair, ands I laugh, ready to get this show on the road.

 

The similarity to my birthday is uncanny, well besides the fact my dress is white as opposed to black, and there is a defined aisle this time, with chairs on either side. I look down the aisle to see the one person I’ve wanted to see all day, but couldn’t due to tradition. Taking small steps I finally make it down to the altar, which has been moved in for this occasion, and simply wait through the long winded talk. Eventually I just hear him stop talking, and Soleil stomps on my foot, signalling part of the wedding ceremony.

“Oh right,” I say, “Lily of the Valley, I had a thornless red rose, you are a tulip, and are a white camellia, yellow tulip, and primrose. Basically, you’ve made my life complete, and although it was hard to admit at the time, I have loved you ever since I first met you. You have become the perfect lover for me, and your adorable smile always shines like the sun, and I cannot live without you.”

“I pronounce you-” the priest’s face is covered in several bunches of mistletoe, and listening to the flower, I kiss my new wife.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it’s finally done. I hope this was worth the wait. I know I broke canon pretty heavily in this last chapter, I really apologize if you didn’t like it, but i personally felt that I needed to do that to get this story to where I wanted it to go. Now I have another story to finish, which will have about three to six more chapters, I know that’s very broad, but it’s the best I can give you, then I’m going to start on a fairly large project. Stay posted, and keep reading. I’ll see you later.  
> Bye,  
> Karii Lynne

**Author's Note:**

> Have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night or whatever time it is for you at the moment.
> 
> Bye, 
> 
> Karii Lynne


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